Issue: Is a
Judicial Official disqualified from presiding over a
criminal case in which the defendant previously was
before the Judicial Official in a juvenile matter
either as a delinquent or parent in a child
protection matter?

Response: In
the absence of more specific facts, the Committee
unanimously agreed that whether a Judicial Official
is disqualified is governed by the following general
rules: (1) a mere change of assignment or court
location does not require recusal, (2) judges are
routinely required to screen-out information that is
inadmissible, (3) if, however, the judge believes
his or her fairness is impaired by the prior
knowledge, recusal is required, (4) the test for
disqualification is an objective one, whether a
reasonable person knowing all of the circumstances
might reasonably question the judge’s impartiality
(see Papa v. New Haven Federation of Teachers, 186
Conn. 725 (1982)), and (5) Canon 3 (c) (1)(A) should
be reviewed. If facts arise for which further
guidance is sought, the Judicial Official should
feel free to come back to the Committee for an
opinion based on case-specific facts.